The Mazda BT-50 facelift has just made its debut in Thailand. Built on the same platform as the one the Isuzu D-Max is sitting on, the facelift Mazda pickup truck is offered in six variants, consisting of freestyle cab and double cab styles.
This is a remarkable decrease in variants, as the pickup truck originally made its debut in Thailand with 14 variants back in 2021. Prices for the facelifted Mazda BT-50 start from 752,000 baht (approx. RM98,519), and top out at 1,272,000 baht (approx. RM166,654).
On the outside, the Thai-spec Mazda BT-50 facelift still sports the brand’s Kodo design language. Changes made here are rather subtle, including its front grille and redesigned bumper which are now finished in gloss black. The higher-end variants of the BT-50 are fitted with 18-inch alloys.
Mazda Thailand describes the BT-50 as an SUV-style pickup, as it packs design bits from its SUVs and sedans, yet is still tough enough to handle the great outdoors. The pickup truck market in Thailand is a competitive one, mainly dominated by the Isuzu D-Max and the Toyota Hilux. Mazda Thailand said it will not “play” in that kind of battlefield, but will instead create a specific customer group of its own.
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Powering the Mazda BT-50 in Thailand are two powertrain options. This includes the 1.9-litre Bluepower turbodiesel engine from Isuzu that makes 150 hp and 350 Nm, as well as a more powerful 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine that puts out 190 hp and 450 Nm. Both powertrains can be paired with either a 6-speed automatic gearbox or a 6-speed manual gearbox, depending on the variant chosen.
The 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine has now been made available for 2WD variants as well, instead of just 4WD variant like in the past. However, the top-spec Double Cab variant is the only one that gets 4WD, whereas the rest of the lineup features a 2WD layout. The 4WD variant is also equipped with the newly installed Rough Terrain Mode system, as well as the rear electronic diff-lock system.
Inside, changes made to the facelifted Mazda BT-50 in Thailand are even more subtle. Its interior essentially looks like the one found in the Isuzu D-Max it is based on, albeit with the steering wheel featuring the Mazda logo instead of Isuzu’s.
Entry-level variants get a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system which comes with Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as standard. Higher-end double cab variants get a larger 9-inch touchscreen unit.
Also reserved for the higher-end variants is the dual-tone brown and black leather interior. The BT-50 in Thailand gets a 4.2-inch TFT colour info display across the range, instead of the larger 7-inch unit found in the D-Max.
Safety-wise, the Thai market Mazda BT-50 facelift is equipped with active safety features such as adaptive cruise control (ACC) with stop & go, advanced blind spot monitoring (ABSM), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), autonomous emergency braking (AEB), and lane departure warning (LDW). Forward collision warning (FCW), pedal misapplication mitigation (PMM), and auto high beam (AHB) are also included.
Closer to home, the Mazda BT-50 currently sold in Malaysia is fully imported (CBU) from Thailand, albeit in its pre-facelift form, and is priced from RM92,000 all the way to RM141,000. Offered in five variants, with the entry-level variant model offered in single cab form, while the rest are double cab models.
Only the single cab and the entry-level double cab variants feature 6-speed manual transmission, while the rest sport 6-speed automatic gearboxes. Unlike the Thai-spec models, all variants of the BT-50 in Malaysia come with 4WD.
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